Vehicle Seat Linkage Locking for Easy-Entry Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle seats with reversible electric motors require additional locking mechanisms and lighter design elements to achieve displacement, complicating the design and increasing costs, while delivering lower torque.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle seat with a non-reversible electric motor and a locking mechanism that transitions between locked and unlocked states using a hook and pin configuration, allowing manual displacement without additional locking means and maintaining high torque.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a reversible electric motor is used to enable seat displacement, then the seat can change positions, but additional locking mechanisms and lighter design elements are required, complicating the design and increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the locking function from the motor system by using a non-reversible motor that inherently maintains position without requiring active locking mechanisms. The motor's one-way transmission geometry naturally prevents backdriving, eliminating the need for separate locking components while preserving position adjustment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a reversible motor with added locking mechanisms, the invention inverts the approach by employing a non-reversible motor where the locking capability is intrinsic to the motor's design. The motor can be activated to move the seat and then remains locked in position automatically, reversing the conventional wisdom that reversible motors require external locking.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a reversible electric motor is used, then bidirectional rotation is possible, but torque is reduced and design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary unidirectional movement function from the motor system, eliminating the need for bidirectional rotation. The non-reversible motor provides sufficient torque for seat adjustment in one direction while the transmission geometry prevents reverse rotation, thereby maintaining high torque without the compromises of reversible motor design.
3Reliability
If additional locking mechanisms are added to a reversible motor system, then position holding is improved, but production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the position holding function from the motor's inherent non-reversible design, eliminating the need for additional locking mechanisms. This simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of components that need to be assembled and tested, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining reliable position holding capability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If lighter design elements are used to achieve displacement with reversible motors, then movement is enabled, but structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the displacement function and achieves it through a non-reversible motor with optimized transmission geometry. This eliminates the need for lighter design elements that would be required to compensate for the mechanical constraints of reversible motor systems, allowing the use of stronger, more durable materials without compromising movement capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The non-reversible electric motor simplifies the seat design, reduces production costs, and enables easy configuration changes between nominal and easy entry positions, ensuring user safety and efficient evacuation in emergencies.
Implementation Method 1
a non-reversible electric motor configured to: drive the rotation of the front connecting rod in relation to the fixation means about the first transverse axis at its first longitudinal end
Implementation Method 2
a front connecting rod presenting a first longitudinal end pivotably hinged along a first transverse axis of the seat to the fixation means and a second longitudinal end pivotably hinged along a second transverse axis to the seat base
Implementation Method 3
a hook pivotably mounted on the lower rear connecting rod along a sixth transverse axis of the seat, a pin arranged on the upper rear connecting rod and extending along the transverse direction of the seat
Data Source
AI summary
A seat of a vehicle comprising a seat base, fixation means for fixing to the floor of a vehicle, a front connecting rod pivoting along a first axis at the fixation means and along a second axis at the base, a lower rear connecting rod pivoting along a third axis at the fixation means, an upper rear connecting rod pivoting along a fourth axis at the base and along a fifth axis at the lower rear connecting rod, a locking means able to transition: from a locked state, wherein it prevents the rotation of the lower rear connecting rod in relation to the upper rear connecting rod, to an unlocked state, wherein it enables the rotation of the lower rear connecting rod in relation to the upper rear connecting rod, and conversely.